Nine-month-old identical twins Owen and Emmett Jenkins are bouncing, bubbly babies today — and the poster children for this year’s Suffolk March of Dimes’ March for the Babies campaign.

The two children were the picture of health at Thursday’s March of Dimes’ kickoff breakfast. They grinned, bounced to music and chewed on spoons, oblivious to roughly four dozen March of Dimes supporters rallying around them.

“It’s never OK for a mother to leave the hospital without her children in tow,” said Kelly Jenkins, the twins’ mother.

This year’s annual Suffolk March of Dimes’ March for Babies is set for April 23 at Constant’s Wharf Park. The march is the organization’s signature event to raise funds and awareness for premature babies.

Owen and Emmett were born last May, at 30 weeks, and spent 49 and 56 days, respectively, in Sentara Norfolk General’s Special Care Nursery, according to Kelly Jenkins.

“We’re thankful for everything you all do,” she told fundraisers.

Collectively, Suffolk’s goal is to raise $74,000.

“It’s an aggressive goal but together, I know we can do it,” said Bethanne Bradshaw, the event’s chair in Suffolk.

Three people or teams have already committed to raising more than $1,000 in 2016: Anna Russell, Meagan Cunningham and Kristy Beatty.

Nationwide, 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely, and in Hampton Roads, 52 babies are born prematurely each week, Bradshaw said.

The March of Dimes works to fund research, education, community programs and advocacy for the prevention of birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Autism, Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, learning disabilities and Alzheimer’s disease are a few of the more than 100 health concerns that also fall under the March of Dimes research umbrella.

America has seen a slight decline in the rate of preterm births in recent years, but there are still more than half a million babies born too soon every year, and premature birth is the top cause of newborn death.

Bradshaw challenged participants to use social media to spread the word about March of Dimes’ March for Babies. For more information about fundraising or to help, visit www.marchofdimes.com/Virginia.